Species: Varicus adamsi, Twilight Goby

Varicus adamsi Gilmore, Van Tassell & Tornabene, 2016

Twilight Goby

Body short, robust; head without pores; both nostrils tubular; a groove across top of front lip; teeth small, conical; gill opening restricted to length of pectoral fin base; gill membranes with 5 rays; dorsal fin VII (none elongate) + I, 9; length of 2nd dorsal base > distance from 2nd dorsal base to tail fin; anal fin I, 8; pectoral fin 18, rays 13-14 longer than others; pelvic fins I, 5, completely separate, no membrane between 5th rays, no front frenum between spines, rays 1-4 branch several times, branch tips of each ray unit to form a flattened spatulate pad, 4th ray longest, 5th ray ¼ length of 4th ray, unbranched, fins long, extend to anus; body with rough scales from tail base to under pectoral, 6-7 rearmost scales greatly enlarged, 21-24 lateral scales; base of tail fin with 2 large, rough scales; no lateral line.

Head and body white; head with tip of snout yellow, with 3 thin, vertical orange-yellow bars, 1 under eye, one from nape down edge of preoperculum the last from nape down just behind rear edge of operculum; iris orange-yellow; body with 4 narrow orange-yellow bars from top to bottom profile: under 1st dorsal, bars 2 & 3 under 2nd dorsal, last bar on caudal peduncle; dorsal fins white, with black edges; caudal fin with grey base, rear of fin white, entire border black; anal fin white with black border; pectoral fin with white rays, elongate rear tip broadly black. Female with less black on dorsal and tail fins, none on anal or pectorals.

Reaches at least 8 cm

Rocky, sandy bottoms

Depth range 165-435 m

The Bahamas to Tobago.